The present invention concerns construction of a rear bumper assembly for a sports utility vehicle.
As many sports utility vehicles, termed SUVs, are quite large, some exceeding 6,000 pounds, they require wheel assemblies of considerable size and weight. To avoid a reduction in the internal space of such a vehicle, it has been found that it is preferable to store a spare wheel assembly rearward of the vehicle cab. It has also been determined that such a wheel assembly may be carried by a tire carrier having pivot means on the vehicle rear bumper offset to one side of the longitude axis of the vehicle. Accordingly, an SUV rear bumper provided with a spare wheel carrier must be sturdy enough to withstand substantial loads, particularly when the vehicle is under way. The bumper attachment point of a spare wheel carrier must be located so as to avoid being in the path of the vehicle tailgate.
Art of interest includes U.S. Pat. No. 6,659,318 issued to the present inventor and incorporated herein by reference.
U.S. Des. Pat. No. D473,835;                U.S. Patent Application Publication U.S. 2003/0024958; and        U.S. Pat. No. 5,186,371.        